A Closed and Common Orbit

A Closed and Common Orbit is the second book in the Wayfarers series, and was published in 2016.

Plot Summary
Once, Lovelace had eyes and ears everywhere. She was a ship's artificial intelligence system - possesssing a personality and very human emotions. But when her ship was badly damaged, Lovelace was forced to reboot and reset. Now housed in an illegal synthetic body, she's never felt so isolated.

But Lovelace is not alone. Pepper, an engineer who risked her life to install Lovelace's program, has remained by her side and is determined to help her. Because Pepper knows a thing or two about starting over.

Pepper was born Jane 23, part of a slave class created by a rogue society of genetic engineers. At ten years old, she had never seen the sky. But when an industrial accident gave Jane 23 a chance to escape, she jumped at the opportunity to leave her captivity.

Now, recreated as Pepper, she makes it her mission to help Lovelace discover her own place in the world. Huge as the galaxy may be, it's anything but empty.

Characters

 * Sidra - A Lovelace AI installed in a body kit.
 * Pepper - A tech expert originally from an Enhancement Colony.
 * Blue - Pepper's partner and an artist, who comes from the same colony.
 * Owl - the AI that raised Pepper.
 * Tak - An Aeluon tattoo artist that Sidra befriends.

Awards and nominations

 * Included in the win for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Series
 * Winner of the 2017 Prix Julia Verlanger
 * Nominated for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel
 * Nominated for the 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award
 * Nominated for the 2016 BSFA Award for Best Novel